Miami-Dade State Atty. Stops Short Of Criticizing DCF After Toddler’s Death

HOMESTEAD (CBSMiami) – Miami-Dade’s State Attorney stopped just short of directly criticizing the Department of Children and families after a mother allegedly killed her 2-year-old son.

“Everybody in the state of Florida Counts on government to protect its most vulnerable, and obviously when we see children dying like this, it does nothing but really strike at the heart of who we are,“ State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Tuesday.

On top of being accused of killing her child, Nathaly Ramos, 22, also allegedly stabbed her boyfriend before trying to take her own life.

Nathaly Ramos is accused of stabbing her boyfriend and her two year old son. (Source: Miami-Dade Corrections)

According to the police report, Ramos, started the stabbing spree at her boyfriend’s home. He awoke Sunday morning in pain and found Ramos armed with a knife and a Taser. He said she chased him but he was able to lock himself in a room, and that is when he noticed he had been stabbed several times. Ramos then left.

From there, police say, she drove to her mother’s house where her son Alphonse was staying with his grandmother. The grandmother had custody of the child but Ramos was allowed to visit.

When Ramos arrived at the home, she reportedly stabbed her son and then tried to take her own life by slitting her throat.

A relative stopped her and drove them to Homestead Hospital where the boy died.

As for the boy’s father, Gonzalez said he didn’t even know where his son was. He said Ramos left him and took their son eight months ago. He said he didn’t know his son was with his grandmother, Yalerkys “Gigi” Ramos.

Yalerkys told CBS4 a complicated tale, saying the Department of Children and Families gave Nathaly’s brother some sort of custody over Alphonse but that DCF told the family they had to let Nathaly have unfettered visitation with the boy.

“DCF told us that anytime she wants to see the baby she was allowed to come in my house as long as she don’t take the baby out,” Ramos said.

Yalerkys says she called DCF on Saturday, the day before the murder, but received no response.

She says for some time she warned the agency of the possibility of a grave outcome.

“[They] tell you, ‘Oh no, your daughter can come to your house anytime she wants,’ even though you’re telling those people that you feel that your grand baby is in danger because she’s not right in her mind,” Ramos said.

“It is an absolute tragedy that a mother could possibly perpetrate this type of violence and murder her own child.

“Alphonse and his mother were involved in the early stages of an open child protective investigation and when the child was determined to be unsafe in the initial assessment, a plan was initiated, and Alphonse was placed with family so his uncle and grandmother could safely care for him during the investigative process.

“Placement with family minimizes trauma to the child and is done with the belief that family can keep the child safe while we continue to investigate and assess risk. The department is not a law enforcement agency and does not have legal authority to limit parents’ access to their children.

“The department always acts in the best interest of the child and it is the responsibility of the family to work with the department to keep a child safe.”

Ramos’ boyfriend, Christopher Ikpe, is recovering from his stab wounds at Jackson South Community Hospital.

Ramos is charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.